I again have students in the pool on Friday, and we will shore dive on Saturday. No boat dives planned. Sunday sadly looks a little on the windy side.
Sunset over Langebaan lagoon
Yoshi the turtle has made landfall in Australia. She was probably hoping to watch the Formula One. Read all about her incredible journey here. What a girl!
Do you live in a city? Worried about keeping yourself and those you care about healthy? Here’s a helpful article. Look after yourselves and stay safe!
I have students so I will shore dive both tomorrow morning and Saturday afternoon, after the marathon road closures. Sunday and Monday don’t look like good weather days.
Autumn on Fish Hoek beach
City Nature Challenge
Besides a few days of challenging weather for the long weekend there is a different and way more interesting challenge heading your way: the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge 2019. This is a worldwide bioblitz event, happening this year from 26-29 April, during which you get a chance to get outdoors, spot species, and do some citizen science.
Cape Town is participating! If you like competition, we’re pitted against other cities around the world (last year San Francisco had the most observers, who saw the most species, and logged the most observations). Otherwise, it’s a fun opportunity to go diving (or hiking, or paddling, or however you like to get outside), and to share what you see with others.
With the iNaturalist app (for iOS or Android) or on the website, you can photograph (or upload photos you took with your camera) and record all kinds of wildlife and plants. You don’t even have to know what you’re seeing – experts will weigh in with identifications if you are unsure. These citizen science observations are invaluable for mapping species diversity and distribution and are used for all sorts of projects. You can use the iNaturalist app (or website) any time, not just during the City Nature Challenge, and it’s a great tool for recording flora and fauna that you come across, even in your own garden.
We’ll be diving next weekend, conditions permitting, and hope to have some observations to contribute to the City Nature Challenge. We’d love it if you joined us.
No diving
This weekend we are hamstrung by the Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday – good luck if you are participating! I’m away in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, so I won’t be running dives even if it wasn’t going to be rather windy (it is).
I’ll be diving with students during next week, so let me know if you want to tag along and I’ll keep you posted.
Sea star at Long Beach
Ocean/Surf night at the Cape Town Adventure Film Festival
Film buff? Love the ocean? Think popcorn is a food group? This event on Friday, 12 April, may be right up your street. Get tickets here.
regards
Tony Lindeque
076 817 1099
www.learntodivetoday.co.zawww.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/Diving is addictive!
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There are large patches of red tide in False Bay, and no wind to clear them up. For this reason I’ll decide on Saturday whether we’ll be boat or shore diving on Sunday. I have students, so we’ll keep it relatively shallow either way. Let me know if you want to keep in the loop for the weekend dives. There’s been bioluminescence at the Strand beach this week, so keep an eye out for it around Fish Hoek beach during the evenings if the red tide persists.
Spring high tide at Fish Hoek beach
Tidal documentary
Don’t forget the screening of Tidal at St James beach on Thursday 7 March. RSVP here.
Wildly different forecasts for this weekend make me inclined to go with the safest option, namely Sunday, as the best dive day. I have students to dive so will be shore diving, most likely from Windmill or A Frame, as when I checked earlier this week, the “stay out of the water” sign remains at Long Beach.
We’re back from the far north, and almost forgot that it’s newsletter day.
But we’re getting back into the swing of things immediately, with a launch for some film work in Hout Bay today, students in the pool on Saturday, and shore dives with students at Long Beach on Sunday.
If you’d like to tag along for a shore dive or two on Sunday, let me know!
Chaps, Festivus (for those of you who find tinsel distracting) is around the corner. This year, as a principle, the gifts that I’m giving to the people I care about are skewed towards experiences, and when they are things, I’m trying to make them beautiful things that will enable my chums to live more sustainable lives.
Before I get going, however, can I point you to this excellent, far more comprehensive, far more inspired gifting guide over at twyg? Their first suggestion is “don’t gift at all”, and this is probably something well worth considering, if it won’t cause a domestic diplomatic incident.
Tinsel from the sea (Champia compressa)
Here’s a quick list of ideas in case you’re struggling.
An experience
A dive course or boat dive with Tony, a family photo shoot, a day out at Cape Point or up Table Mountain in the cable car, a digital magazine or streaming television subscription – use your imagination!
Something water wise
It’s likely that most of us will never, in good conscience, be able to resume watering our gardens the way we used to. For this reason, water wise plants are high on my list of excellent gifts for keen gardeners. For ideas of what plants to choose, your local nursery will help, or you and the avid coastal gardener in your life can consult this excellent book.
Something to minimise waste
A set of stainless steel or glass straws (Sustainable.co.za is one stockist), glass or copper straws (check out EbonyMoon for these), or a pack of paper or other biodegradeable straws to keep at home and/or carry around like a dork for use at restaurants.
A reusable coffee cup – Seattle Coffee Company sells beautiful Keep Cups, as do Vida e Caffe and many supermarkets. ecoffee cup sells beautiful bamboo cups, with a range of designs to choose from.
A reusable shopping bag – most supermarkets stock bags of some description, as does Faithful to Nature. 3friends has beautiful Shweshwe printed bags that are very special. We should all have a reusable shopping bag in our handbags, as well as several in the car.
A bokashi bin, which you can find at Builders Warehouse or at many nurseries. Don’t be grossed out – we have significantly improved the soil quality in our garden, and don’t put out any food waste or scraps with our garbage any more, thanks to diligent use of this nifty indoor composter!
Something to lift up someone else
Some deserving, marine-related recipients of a donation on your friend’s behalf are:
There are many more excellent non profits than just these three, and so much need, but do your research carefully. My rule of thumb is, if the founder’s face is plastered everywhere and it looks more like a personality cult than an NPO, it’s not a cause that I want to give my bucks to.
A donation of time is a way to do something great, and spend time with someone you care about. Promising to join a friend for a beach cleanup followed by a coffee (in your reusable cup, your treat) gives a gift to the planet, and the gift of time to someone you value. To find a local clean up, follow the Beach Co-Op (facebook) and Cape Town Beach Clean Up (facebook). The Two Oceans Aquarium also arranges periodic beach cleans. (Non-Capetonians, facebook and google search are your friend.)
Looking back
Previous years’ gift guides, which contain some good ideas – if I say so myself:
2017 – for info on Wild Cards or My Green Cards, small specific gifts for divers and water people
The forecast today is a little better for the weekend than it was earlier this week. There is some wind and some odd swell and swell direction changes but I believe it should be worth diving both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday will most likely be a little better. I have students on the boat on both days so there is not much space, however, if you are quick you can reserve a spot!
Zandvlei Nature Reserve
Things to do
It’s not as if one needs to actively seek out extra commitments at this time of year, but in case you’re at a loose end check out Wavescape’s Slide Night happening on Monday (you need to book in advance for this). You can get some adult education at UCT’s annual Summer School in January, and there’s something for you whether your interest is sharks or shipwrecks.
Sunday: Meeting at 9.00 am on the Simon’s Town jetty for boat dives (20-30 metres’ depth for Advanced divers)
Weekend conditions look decent. I have both Open Water students and Advanced students to certify, so I will tentatively plan shore dives at Long Beachon Saturday at 8.30 am, to be home in time for the rain…
And boat dives for Sunday at 9.00 am on the Simon’s Town jetty. Sunday’s dives will be in the 20-30 metre range as there is some swell, so we will hide from the surge at depth.
Baboon on the beach at Platboom near Cape Point
Water
I hope you’re still exerting yourself and thinking independently and responsibly about your own future water security. Here’s this week’s Wednesday Water File from the WWF, which deals with South Africa’s water sources.
Sunday: Boat dives… which side of the peninsula to be confirmed!
Both Saturday and Sunday have fairly decent weather forecasts. The question will be whether the visibility is better in False Bay or Hout Bay. I will go with diving on Sunday, doing two launches. The first will be for Advanced students, second for Open Water divers. I will decide tomorrow late afternoon where to go. Shout if you’re keen to dive.
Ark Rock
Water
The WWF’s Wednesday Water File this week is about carrying on our water saving ways, even though the situation for the rest of the year has apparently improved (or, an election looms large). There are some great “dry hygiene” tips to help you to keep under the 50 litres per person per day limit. Read all of them here.
Citizen scientists unite!
Are you interested in how you can contribute to science as an ordinary citizen? We’ve shared some local ideas here and here… And now there’s a Citizen Science Fair taking place at Kirstenbosch on 14-15 April. Here’s a link to the event on facebook. Learn about how you can get involved in adding to scientific knowledge, which enables better conservation management decisions and protection of the biodiversity around us. I’ll remind you again of this event closer to the time.
